OCBA - Receipts and other ‘proof of purchase’

Receipts and other ‘proof of purchase’

A consumer who wants to make a claim about faulty goods or services against a supplier or manufacturer will usually need to show that they obtained the goods or services from that supplier or manufacturer. The same applies to gift recipients.

Businesses are understandably concerned to ensure that claims made to them about goods and services are genuine.

The best proof of purchase is a tax invoice or receipt.

A number of other forms of evidence are also usually acceptable, including:

a lay by agreement
a confirmation or receipt number provided for a telephone or internet transaction
a credit card statement
a warranty card showing the supplier's or manufacturer's details and the date or amount of the purchase
a serial or production number linked with the purchase on the supplier's or manufacturer's database.

Sometimes, a consumer may need to provide more than one of these to support their claim - for example, when a receipt does not clearly itemise the faulty goods or service.

If a consumer cannot show that they bought the goods or services, you may still choose to accept the consumer's claim.

If a dispute arises about whether you should accept a claim without proof of purchase, the consumer may seek the opinion of an Australian court or tribunal.

For example:

A consumer buys a well-known brand of toaster using cash at a medium-sized store. The toaster malfunctions within the first week.
The consumer takes the toaster back to the supplier but has lost the receipt. The supplier has no record of the transaction and declines to provide a replacement or repair.

The consumer contacts the manufacturer, who identifies the serial number of the toaster as one of a recent batch and agrees to accept the claim.
Had the toaster been part of an older product line (three or four years old), it may have been difficult for the manufacturer to know whether the problem was a malfunction or due to wear and tear by the consumer.

For information about supplier responsibilities when issuing proof of purchase, see Selling to Customers.

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